The present disclosure relates generally to a bicycle, and particularly to features of a bicycle, such as a control system, a user interface and a suspension system.
Bicycle suspension systems, such as those used with mountain or all-terrain type bicycles, aid the rider by stabilizing the bicycle through the absorption of energy caused by impacts with the terrain, such as may result from depressions, logs, rocks, stream beds and bumps. Typically, the bicycle suspension system includes a hydraulic system consisting of upper and lower tubes that are arranged to slide axially over each other. A damper valve separates a pair of chambers in the upper and lower tubes. The damper valve controls the flow of a viscous fluid or a gas from one chamber that result in a damping of the impulses caused by the terrain.
During operation, when the bicycle encounters uneven terrain, the outer and inner tubes slide axially to compress in a telescoping manner This movement of the tubes forces the fluid to flow from one chamber to the other. Subsequently, during a rebound movement, the tubes will slide axially in the opposite direction causing them to expand. The expansion results in the fluid being forced to flow in the opposite direction. Since the valve setting of the damper valve is usually fixed prior to riding, the amount of damping provided by the suspension system may, at times, either be too soft resulting in a loss of energy from the rider, or too stiff resulting in a loss of stability.
To compensate for this, some suspension systems have been proposed that include a mechanical or hydraulic lockout arrangement that prevents the compression or extension of the tubes. This provides efficiency advantages to the rider during periods where the terrain is relatively even, on a street or hard-packed surface for example, since little of the energy exerted by the rider will be absorbed by the suspension system. Still other systems provided arrangements where the suspension system was not activated until the terrain imparted a threshold impact force, typically set at a high level.
While existing suspension systems are suitable for their intended purposes, there still remains a need for improvements particularly regarding bicycle suspension systems and user interface control systems that allow the suspension characteristics to be changed while the bicycle is being operated and in response to terrain conditions.